2026/2027 Gap Year Fellowship
Are you spending your gap year in Israel and looking for a meaningful supplement?
The Smol Emuni US Gap Year Fellowship will deepen your gap year with serious Torah learning, courageous conversations, and new friendships. Together, we’ll ask the hardest and most important questions about Israel, Judaism, Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will learn the history of the region, hear from activists, and study early and contemporary religious texts.
Why Join?
Your gap year is the perfect time to ask big questions and grow as a Jewish leader. The seminar combines:
Serious Torah learning in a Beit Midrash setting.
Courageous conversations with Israel’s top thinkers and activists.
New friendships with American and Israeli peers who care deeply about Torah, peace, and justice.
This is a chance to learn, grow, and make your gap year unforgettable.
Who is this fellowship for?
Our Fellows come from a wide range of gap-year programs and educational backgrounds. Past Fellows have studied at institutions including:
Aardvark Israel
Hebrew University
Mechinat Beit Yisrael
Midreshet Lindenbaum
Yeshivat Drisha
Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi
Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Orayta
Young Judaea Year Course
Testimonials
“The fellowship [was] without a doubt one of the greatest and most educational and worthwhile parts of my gap year. We discovered so much history and delved into geopolitical contexts and nuances which are ignored by many people coming to Israel for their year abroad.” — Michael F.
“We had the opportunity to learn history alongside Halacha and even meet Arab gap year students our age to deepen our connection and understanding of the conflict, the land and our values.” — Shalvah L.
2026/2027 Program Includes:
8 Friday Seminars (October–May)
One Shabbaton
3-4 Tour
Opportunities to meet and learn with Israeli HaSmol HaEmuni activists
Cost of transportation, lunch, and Shabbaton will be covered
Ready to Apply?
If you’re curious, passionate, and open to learning — this fellowship is for you.
September 5 - Portal Opens
September 30 - Applications Due
Email us your questions at gapyear@smolemunius.com
Please feel free to share this with friends who would be excited about this program.
Meet the Team
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Esther Sperber
Executive Director
Esther Sperber is the founder of Smol Emuni US, a growing movement of Orthodox Jews committed to justice, equality, and dignity for Jews and Palestinians rooted in Torah. Born in Jerusalem, Esther has lived in New York for 25 years. She is the founder of the award-winning firm Studio ST Architects. Esther writes and lectures on architecture, Judaism, culture, and psychoanalysis. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, HuffPost, Haaretz, JTA, TOI and The Forward, as well as academic journals.
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Solomon Fox
Fellowship Program & Operations Director
Solomon grew up in Rockland County, New York. He received a BA in Sociology from Columbia University and BA in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He worked in financial services while organizing with Smol Emuni US, which he has been active in since June 2025. This year Solomon is a Netziv Fellow at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies and active in solidarity work through Achvat Amim: Solidarity of Nations and HaSmol HaEmuni in Israel.
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Elisheva Malomet
Fellowship Educational Director
Elisheva grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey, and suburban Philadelphia. Before attending university, she spent time at Yeshivat Pardes’s and then on Kivunim. She attended the Joint Program at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, earning BAs in Archaeology and Jewish Texts. After graduating, she began work surrounding spatial justice and human rights in the West Bank. She lives in Jerusalem with her husband and their many plant babies.
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Yaaqov Lawrence Shenkin
Fellowship Educator
Ya'aqov was raised in Golders Green, London, and subsequently studied at Yeshivat HaKotel and Machon Lev. Since 2023, he has been actively involved with Smol Emuni’s advocacy group, Bnei Avraham, where he has served both as a protective presence activist and as a Torah educator, specialising in chasidut. This year, he will undertake Semicha studies through the Rabbanut, alongside continuing his role as an educator for the Smol Emuni Gap Year Fellowship.
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Tzivya Katzman
Fellowship Educator and Mentor
Tzivya lives in Jerusalem and is currently a student at Hebrew University. She has studied at Yeshivat Drisha and Yeshivat Hadar and is an activist in the solidarity group Bnei Avraham. This is Tzivya’s second year being a part of the Smol Emuni US Gap Year Fellowship and she is excited to continue to serve as an educator and guide to the participants.
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Mikhael Manekin
Founder, HaSmol HaEmuni Israel
Mikhael is an Israeli activist, writer, and community organizer working at the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice. Mikhael is the director of the Alliance Fellowship Program and an activist in the Israeli Faithful Left. He previously led the progressive think tank Molad and, before that, directed the veterans' organization Breaking the Silence. His book, End of Days: Tradition and Power in Israel, was translated into English in 2023.
Questions?
Email us at gapyear@smolemunius.com.
For gap-year students and educators, friends, parents, future gap year students and supporters interested in learning more about the program, we will be holding a Zoom Informational Session on September 23 @ 12pm EST/ 7PM Jerusalem time.
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The Smol Emuni US Gap Year Fellowship is open to all students on their gap year in Israel who are post-high school (Shana Aleph and Shana Bet). American and international students alike are welcome to apply!
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We work hard to help accomodate students who plan to participate in fellowships including Hartman and YCT, planning our dates and coordinating with our partners accordingly. Many students do so and find the experience enriching!
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Smol Emuni US, which was founded in 2024 inspired by the movement in Israel, is the sponsor of this fellowship. While not all participants are required to come from North America, Smol Emuni US sees this fellowship as an extension of our work to create a growing network of Orthodox diaspora voices upholding human dignity as a Jewish value regarding Israel-Palestine and beyond. We do, however, hope this year will connect participants to the vibrant Israeli HaSmol HaEmuni groups as part of a larger movement.